The CEO of New Zealand’s tourism body has called on the industry to adopt a more collaborative mindset, arguing that it is a crucial part of its future.
Speaking at the 2018 Global Tourism Summit in Hawaii yesterday, Stephen England-Hall said the solutions to problems facing the tourism sector – in particular, future-proofing, sustainability and enrichment – lie in shared global thinking.
“The challenges that we face as an industry and the opportunities they present for all of us are not limited to individual cities or nations. They are a collective global challenge,” he told attendees.
“We are competing for visitors, for their spend, to be the first click on people’s choice of travel, on where to next. Those are challenges that we as destination marketing organisations face every single day.
“We are in fact competing, but I also believe in ‘coopertition’ – the ability to compete on one level and collaborate on another. It’s an incredibly important part of our future.”
England-Hall noted that for many travellers, exploring is no longer about ticking off the list of places to see. They are increasingly becoming socially aware, purpose-oriented and savvy, with a big appetite for authentic, bespoke experiences.
“They don’t want to degrade the environment in a community upon their visitation – they actually want to leave a positive impact,” he said.
“The search beyond the mist for authentic connectivity is absolutely an opportunity.”
“I wonder if sustainability is not enough? I wonder if tourism as an industry globally is one of the few that could actually be enriched, where we leave more than we take, we add more than we take away, we give more than we consume?”
To be transformative for global good, England-Hall said the industry must change its approach to become more socially inclusive and cross-border collaborative.
Tourism NZ’s chief executive said tourism organisations also need to focus on being guardians of their own land and people, look to shape trends, demonstrate more forward-thinking, and embrace the likes of data and artificial intelligence to become technological leaders.
“Let’s use tourism to enrich the world in which we live in. Give more than we take,” he concluded.
